The invention relates generally to poultry processing and more specifically to a device for chilling poultry carcasses during processing.
It is known to chill the carcasses of poultry, including such common birds as chickens, turkeys and Cornish hens, as one of the final steps in a poultry processing method. It is also known to chill pieces of butchered poultry carcasses in the same manner. In a common chilling system, a large bath of water that is at a lower temperature than the birds receives the poultry carcasses and/or pieces at the end of the poultry processing system. The carcasses and/or pieces are placed in the water, and a mechanism, such as an auger or a mechanically-conveyed paddle system, slowly conveys the carcasses and/or pieces along the length of the bath. The water in the chiller bath contacts most or all outer surfaces of the carcasses and/or pieces, and thereby removes thermal energy.
In a conventional poultry processing system, it is common to pluck the feathers from a bird as one of the first processing steps, typically just after killing the bird and just prior to removing the organs and the muscle and muscle/bone combinations (e.g., breasts, wings, drumsticks) from the bird. The plucking process typically begins by heating the outer surface of the bird substantially to permit removal of the feathers from the skin of the bird. The bird is typically heated by submerging in a tub of hot water, a poultry processing process called scalding, or pouring or spraying hot water or steam onto the bird's exterior. The hot water loosens the connection of the feathers to the skin, and permits complete feather removal. However, by heating the bird's outer surface, the skin and muscle are warmed enough to permit bacteria to be highly active during the remainder of the process, and sufficiently to permit fat and other temperature-dependent materials to more readily leave the muscle and soft tissue of the bird.
The problem of bacterial activity and loss of mass creates difficulties in poultry-processing systems.